


The Nature of Time

by Angel Ascending (angel_in_ink)



Series: Short and Sweet (Fics of About 1000 Words or Less) [27]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Flashbacks, Gen, Spoilers for Episode 86 of Campaign 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2019-11-25
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:54:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21554191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angel_in_ink/pseuds/Angel%20Ascending
Summary: Caleb is still trying to learn how to manipulate time, but some aspects of time have a magic all their own.
Series: Short and Sweet (Fics of About 1000 Words or Less) [27]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1139780
Comments: 6
Kudos: 62





	The Nature of Time

**Author's Note:**

> Posted this to Tumblr earlier, just thought I'd pop it up here too.

Caleb is still trying to learn how to manipulate time, but some aspects of time have a magic all their own.

When Beau is sprawled on the floor of the cathedral and Yasha raises her sword, time slows. Caleb has years to memorize every jagged line of that terrible blade, how it’s stained dark with his friend’s blood. He has an eon to look into Yasha’s eyes, to see the anguish and the sorrow as her body carries out commands against what her mind and heart desire, as the tears streak through the blood on her face. He has an eternity to watch the blade come down, to pierce Beau’s chest—

Time jerks backward. Caleb is standing by the side of the road, a dusting of snow covering the grass as Lorenzo smiles, as he brings the glaive down. He watches as Molly spits blood into Lorenzo’s face, defiant to the end, his eyes never closing.

Caleb is as helpless then as he is now, frozen as time moves forward again, as he stares at Beau’s blood staining the cathedral stones. Is she breathing? If he doesn’t look at her, she might still be breathing. If he looks, she might not be. Are her eyes open? Are they closed?

There’s the phantom sting of pain as the memory of a slap comes forward from the past to the present. Caleb blinks as Caduceus gestures towards Yasha, as Yasha falls to her knees and screams, as thunder crashes, as rain falls.

_Time for that later_ says an echo from the past in Caleb’s ear, followed by the memory of a kiss, lips soft against his forehead.

Time resumes its normal flow as Caleb focuses on the Laughing Hand. The creature is still standing near Beau, who’s groggily trying to get to her feet. Caleb walks behind the Laughing Hand as he reaches into the pouch at his side, firmly in the present once more as his fingers tangle in the string, as he slams the cat’s cradle into the ground, as the fire reaches its target.

_“Get the fuck away from my friends.”_

**Author's Note:**

> I'm angel-ascending on Tumblr and angel_in_ink on Twitter if y'all want to stop by and say hi!


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